Nelson Opera in the Park is back with some of New Zealand's best opera singers alongside stellar contemporary performers. Bring a picnic and soak up the atmosphere for this wonderful night of music in the open air. With affordable ticket prices this is a world class event that everyone can enjoy.

PERFORMERS:
ANNA LEESE
JARED HOLT
DAVE DOBBYN
MODERN MÂORI QUARTET
JACKIE CLARKE
PRESHOW - THE JUBILATION CHOIR

ORCHESTRA WELLINGTON
Conductor Marc Taddei
Musical Director Peter Rainey

Bring warm clothing, a torch and rug if in the picnickers' area. Those with chairs please sit in the designated areas.

We are working towards Zero Waste. Please leave nothing but footprints.

Fireworks display: Combat Pyrotechnics

Ever wondered how a theatre works or wanted to have a better understanding of what is involved to make a production come to life? The Theatre Royal’s Open Day is the perfect opportunity to find out!

We are throwing open our doors and inviting you to step behind the scenes, giving you the opportunity to tread the boards of our stage and we will show you exactly how our theatre operates including the fly tower!

You will also have the opportunity to meet many of our local artists and companies who perform regularly at the theatre, join our Royal Family and find out about our technical training programmes that are available throughout the year.

It’s your chance to be ‘centre stage’! If you’ve ever wanted a look behind-the-scenes, to see how the magic of theatre really works, now is your chance.

Live Arts Nelson’s Summer school will showcase their performance piece de resistance. 

The students have spent a week immersed in theatre, drama, dance, singing and music, visual and creative arts, and have been part of creating and/or performing this new piece of theatre.

A gold coin donation to see these kids show their amazing talent.

Nelson Youth Theatre Company is delighted to present a double bill, showcasing our younger performers in Heidi and The Snow Queen.

This story of Heidi, the little orphan girl who brings new hope to everyone her life touches, glows even more endearingly today than it has for generations. The way Heidi brings her gruff, old hermit grandfather back into the world and helps Clara, the invalid child, find health and happiness portrays the charming sentiment of the old world. Heidi would say that everyone will love seeing this beguiling book brought to life - and Heidi wouldn't lie.

The Snow Queen is skillfully adapted from the famous original story by Hans Christian Andersen. This is the story of Gerda, a little girl who searches for her friend Kai when he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Snow Queen in her ice palace. Gerda's innocence charms all good people and animals she meets on the way. They help her to the royal court, and on to Lapland, where good conquers evil and the children are reunited.

Rock of Ages nothing but a good time; the ultimate tribute to the '80s.

Nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical. Rock of Ages is ready to rock Nelson!

Rock of Ages is a rock musical set in Hollywood in the 1980s, when it was all about big chords, big dreams and big hair.

Channeling every totally rad '80s cliché in the book, Rock of Ages is a high-energy dive into a living, breathing music video, the show races quickly along, riding high on nostalgia and hairspray!

Rock of Ages explores the pursuit of dreams and tells its story through hits from iconic groups and rockers of the 1980s including songs of Journey, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and many other artists who underscore this tale of big dreams in Hollywood.

With the live band and a playlist of incredible 80's hits, Rock of Ages is an amazing night at the theatre for everyone!

Curtain Call is a dance production by the Fargher Academy of Dance, showcasing the talents of local dancers. The performance has something for everyone with emotive lyrical and contemporary pieces, high energy jazz dances, the technique and beauty of classical ballet, and show stopping musical theatre numbers.

You all know the story ... a wicked sorceress casts a spell on Prince Christian and turns him into a beast. He will remain a beast unless the spell can be broken by true love's kiss before the rose (given by the Sorceress) withers and dies. The wicked Sorceress has a son, Gaston, who wants to marry Belle but she despises him. Will he get the girl? Perhaps Belle will find true love.

This is Panto ...goodies, baddies, lots of "booing". Don't turn around because there's bound to be something "behind you".

Sara Crewe is one of the most beloved fictional heroines, and June Walker Rogers has brought her to life in this funny, sad and wonderfully imaginative adaptation of the novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Sara Crewe is a young girl who seems to have everything her heart could wish for; she is loved and doted on by her father, and is attending the best school that his money can buy - Miss Minchin's Academy for Girls.

However, fate takes a turn for the worst, leaving her penniless and totally dependent on the charity of her headmistress. Cruelly exploited by the merciless Miss Minchin and school bully Lavinia, Sara, and her friend Becky (the scullery maid) try to smile though their troubles and are helped by the magical intervention of her Eastern guardian angel, the mysterious Mr Ramdass.

With strong themes of friendship, understanding and inclusion Nelson Youth Theatre Company is proud to present Frances Hodgson Burnett's A little Princess. We are sure that you will enjoy every second of this production.

by Trick of the Light Theatre

'Beatrix didn't want a tiara. Beatrix wanted a Beard!'

From Charles Darwin to Abraham Lincoln, Karl Marx to Mr Twit, it is said that the secret to power and greatness is all in the size and shape of the beard.

Award-winning company, Trick of the Light Theatre (The Bookbinder, The Road That Wasn't There), delivers a tale of one young girl's increasingly inventive efforts to grow the world's most magnificent beard. Join a madcap and hilarious musical romp as our plucky young heroine, armed with bubble bath and canned spaghetti, shakes up social rules and attempts to answer the questions that have puzzled mankind since the dawn of the beard.

Written by Ralph McCubbin Howell
Directed by Hannah Smith
Performed by Abby Howells, Ralph McCubbin Howell and Paul Waggott
Produced by Show Pony

Recommended for adults and children 7+

"an engagingly witty gem of a piece that is really worth shaving off an hour out of your busy schedule for." THEATRESCENES

Award
WINNER - Best Theatre - Dunedin Fringe 2015

The Net Gen Live! is the brain child of Odie Stratmore-Ching, the Artistic Managing Director for Nelson Youth Theatre. Her passion is to see our young artists succeed with their chosen art forms. The event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent and will include: bands, musicians, dancers, singers (groups and soloists) actors, stage challenge, physical theatre and work from visual artists. It’s all about our digital natives – the Net Gen and live performance!

The event’s purpose is to support and nurture the creative spirit of “I CAN” with proceeds funding youth arts programmes, tuition and travel assistance.